Vienna exhibition tests ethics of displaying human remains

A vast, bloated liver. An infant with lacerated skin. The deformed skeleton of a young girl.

The recent renovation of one of the collections belonging to Vienna's prestigious Natural History Museum provided curators with a new test of how to display its vast trove of human medical remains, some dating back more than two centuries, without crossing modern red lines of ethics and good taste.

The collection of around 50,000 human body parts was first conceived in 1796 to help train medical students.

In today's world, such gruesome galleries raise tricky questions over whether the public good outweighs moral issues such as human dignity, power and exploitation, and the consent of those - admittedly long dead - subjects on display for all.

"We try to avoid voyeurism by giving as much explanation as possible," says curator Eduard Winter, pointing out that photography inside the galleries is not allowed.

Winter said he hopes that when museum-goers are confronted with "a 30-kilogramme liver... they will realize what alcohol can do to the human body".

Curious visitors can also learn about the effects of viruses on the body or what burn injuries to blood vessels look like. They can peer at human organs, skulls and body parts - exhibits that some other countries restrict to researchers.

For its supporters, education around the scientific investigation of disease and human health means access to the collection is in the public interest.

"Everyone will have to face illness one day," exhibition director Katrin Vohland says.

"Some people come because they themselves are affected" by certain health problems, while others "want to know more about how science has progressed," she adds.

The exhibition reopened...